Another week gone by - my mercy.
Woke to a damp (not rain), cloudy and super foggy morning. There is a chill in the air and it sure looks like fall.
We have had a perfectly lovely week weather wise. On Monday morning I actually did turn on the furnace for one cycle - it was pretty darn chilly. It was 38* outside. Two days later I turned on the AC late one afternoon for one cycle to cool off things. That is it.
Windows open, ceiling fans on - just lovely.
I have so many very small and young squirrels and they play like crazy. Running and chasing each other. The outdoor kitties are getting all frisky and playful in this weather as well. It is funny, they chase leaves, each other and the squirrels. They don't try to catch the squirrels - the just play around.
The grass is brown, still no rain. I can see colors on the horizon however. The trees are changing and there is such pretty colors.
This week was pretty quiet again -
- Chunked the bottom of a wonderful candle to use as melts. The candle is pretty done as far as burning, but the smell is wonderful - so I am not wasting the remainder
- Got to air the house a lot!
- Made 12 pints and 2 - 1/2 pints of enchilada sauce and canned. Most will be used for holiday gift baskets.
- Renewed library books online
- Kroger had Fugi and Gala apples on sale 5 lbs. for 2.99 - that is .60 a pound!!!! Super cheap here. I got some of both - sooooooo yummy I also got more cat litter while at Kroger (for stock)
- Stopped at CVS and got a battery I needed on the way home
- I fixed my key fob for the Blazer!!!! It quit working a few weeks back. I got to wondering about a battery - yes it has one. I mean the silly thing is 18 years old, and I have never changed the battery! Replaced it and it still didn't work. Well at this point the fob is useless - so I took the little computer board out and saw that the little gold colored strips (connections) were black. I took a soft cloth and rubbed them clean - put it all back together - and WAHLA it works!!!! Yep that saved me about $85 for a replacement
- I did a big financial overview this week - spent a day just going over everything. Need to do that once in a while
- Did more cleaning and de-cluttering - never ending battle!
- Cleaned all the wood floors
- Doing all the normal stuff - cooking at home, getting resourceful and experimental with food, lights out most of the time, drinking water and juice, taking my vitamins and herbs (got to stay healthy), reading, porch sitting, etc.
- Did a little more yard clean-up
Meals this past week:
Seasoned Rice a Roni (home mix), chicken strips and sliced tomatoes
Can of Progressive Santa Fe chicken soup with added leftover rice
Tuna patty, mac n cheese with peas and sliced tomatoes
Homemade Club sandwich and an apple
Nachos
Home version of Big Mac and fries
Poor man Philly beef and cheese sandwich (ground beef) and baked beans
Eating apples, crackers and cheese, popcorn for snacks
How was your week? Are you enjoying good weather? Are you doing any more canning or preserving? What kinds of deals have you found lately?
I pray for all those involved in the fire areas and those in line of the hurricanes. So much devastation.
I hope you and yours are well, safe and healthy and free from harm.
Blessings from my humble little home to yours.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in thee.
Psalms 56:3
What a great fix on your key fob, Cheryl. And a great price on the apples from Kroger. We have some coming today in a grocery order that is being delivered.
ReplyDeleteThanks - I was proud of myself on the fob. I figured I couldn't hurt it - it wasn't working. YAY
DeleteThe apples are tasty.
We are up at our little cabin. Doing my best to prepare all meals out of the freezer and pantry plus the bit of produce I brought up from our garden.
ReplyDeleteWishing everyone a wonderful Sunday.
Have a wonderful time at the cabin. Sounds blissful.
DeleteTake care.
My birthday was celebrated as a nice, quiet day, one where I didn't have to go anywhere for a change. While at Tractor Supply later in the week buying bird seed, I treated myself to a journal that was half price, making it $7.50. It has a nice picture of a farm on the front with the words "Life is Beautiful". Perfect little gift for myself. I plan to use it as a garden journal next year.
ReplyDeleteThursday was beautiful here, so I set up the last of my bird feeders (I have 4 now), mowed the grass and leaves, and cleaned out most of the garden. I still have three tomato plants in pots, but they will be stripped this coming Friday, when it is supposed to be down to 34F, our first frost. I'm letting the flowers go to seed. Husband says the backyard look naked!
Our area has been invaded by pine siskins, down from Canada where their normal food (arborvitae cones) was poor this year. I had as many as three dozen birds at a time on my feeders! They spook easily from cars, but aren't afraid of people. I had two of them eating from the palm of my hand! I bought a hummingbird feeder and some nectar for half price at WalMart. I hope the nectar in sealed bottles keeps until Spring. We're certainly enjoying all the birds.
No real frugalities this week, just my usual small efforts: keeping the heat off or set to 70 (Husband just can't tolerate much colder.), laundry on the line, lights out unless necessary, reading library books, drinking water (and homemade Gatorade when I mowed), darned a sock, sitting out back enjoying the changing leaves. All little things that add up.
Fixing your key fob was genius! Those things are so expensive to replace. The bargain on apples was good, too. Food prices seem ridiculously high around here. Aldi did a complete store reset and seems to be carrying fewer things. Walmart looked like it had been reset, too. Lots of toilet paper, though!
I haven't been reading much this week, but am still reading through the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. I have been doing a fair amount of genealogical research on one of my dead-ends, and I think I've found her. I quit paying for Ancestry.com years ago, but our state archives has partnered with them to allow free research of certain state databases for state residents (you have to supply your zip code, which I assume they can reference against your internet location). I also use FamilySearch.com (the Mormons) and various state, county, and college archival collections. All free.
This week's dinners include Hamburger Stew (simmering in the crock pot) and Tuna Noodle Casserole. Pizza on Tuesday, our 11th wedding anniversary.
We had a very frugal wedding, stood up before the Magistrate (like a Justice of the Peace) on a Tuesday afternoon with my younger step-daughter and her husband in attendance. They gave us $100 as a wedding gift, which we used to take the four of us to dinner. I wore a dress from the thrift store, and step-daughter took pictures with her cell phone. We're still quite happily married 11 years later. It's the marriage that counts, not the wedding.
Hope everyone has a safe and frugal week!
You going to become the bird lady yet!!! LOL I make my own nectar for hummingbirds - super simple 1/4 C sugar to 1 C water. They swarm it. NO food color!!!
DeleteGlad you had a frugal birthday!
We used to belong to Ancestry and shared our code with an Uncle who in turn paid half of fee - we both got use of it. Glad to know someone else has a branch from no where!!! I swear my maternal grandfather's family (his dad's side) came from outer space! NOTHING. I guess that could explain some things!!!! HAHAH
You wedding sounds like ours. Mom bought me a dress, my bosses wife made up pretty flowers for my dress. The only time Glen ever wore a suit and it was from Value Village. Paid the preacher $50 and my Mom and his parents were there. They took us out to eat, and my brother had a little bitty gathering at his house later. We'd still be going strong if Glen had lived. We celebrated 33 years. Yep - it's all about the people not the festivities. Have a wonderful anniversary!!!!!!
This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving so I am trying to put life in perspective and truly count my blessings. While things are not dire here, our politicians have made the decision to put "red zones" back into stage 2 due to a rise in infections - they want to nip things in the bud now and not wait. This only applies to 3 sections of the province (the most populated) so as of midnight Friday all kinds of entertainment venues and gyms are closed again, no more indoor dining, some personal services restricted if you have to remove your mask so I can still get my hair cut and as much as possible we are asked to stay within our own families again - 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors for things like weddings & funerals. The priority is to keep schools open and houses of worship may also stay open (although mine had already decided to close again). No one is surprised and more financial help has been arranged for businesses so most people are pretty accepting. We figure it's worth it if we get through the Winter without the hospitals being overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteI got my free high dose flu shot this week so I am grateful for that and I am also thankful that a friend who has been having trouble breathing (she has severe asthma) was able to get all kinds of tests done and have her medications reviewed and updated last Friday at no cost as part of our health care system. She is resting so we will not have Thanksgiving dinner together as planned but I will take her a hot meal when I check on her later today.
I have added to my pantry this past week and have reorganized my baking supplies so that things are much easier to access.
I managed dinners of 3 big salads this past week with chicken or beans & cheese as the proteins. I had a takeout meal one night of chicken tenders, potatoes and broccoli and then made myself a big batch of cauliflower & broccoli bake with cheese sauce which I ate for two meals. A big pot of squash & sweet potato soup along with a salmon sandwich took care of another couple of meals so I didn't do too badly as far as making things from scratch.
This week is to be a mix of rain and sunshine so I plan on walking when the weather is good and hopefully doing it with friends on a couple of days - wearing our masks and socially distanced of course! Take care and stay safe everyone.
Glad to hear you are taking care of yourself. I think every locality if different in how they respond to all that is going on. I try to avoid listening to much of it - just doing my little life safely.
DeleteYou meals all sound yummy. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Maybe you and your friend can get together for a belated festivity later. It truly isn't the date but the company. Glad you are taking her a nice hot meal.
I think we may get rain (fingers crossed) later tomorrow. Then it will get back chillier here.
Take good care and have a blessed week.
I love that you stay so busy doing things. It gives me inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel busy - I really and truly have so much down time. YOU are the busy one!
DeleteWhat a week it's been! We've had the weather swings here (Chicago suburbs), too, though it has remained dry. We could really use a good soaking rain. I've actually enjoyed some of the chilly mornings -- good for a quick walk with the pup to wake up, and it's been warm enough during the day to open windows and let the breeze come in. A couple of nights, I've even left a window or two open and slept like a baby.
ReplyDeleteMy part-time "gig" was a pain this week and, as a result, I did little-to-nothing on the home front, other than a couple of loads of laundry. I just felt "unsettled" all week. I did stop by a roadside stand where I got apples and grapes a couple of weeks back -- wanted to do another batch of grape juice and some applesauce for my mom. The owner's wife had previously put together a bag of mixed apples for me, specifically her own mix for making applesauce without sugar. I asked her to do that for me again, and she did a LARGE bag, rather than the small one I'd gotten before. And, at the price she was giving me, I couldn't ask her to do it over. So, I've done TWO more batches of sauce, one for my mom (12 @ 4 oz) and one for my daughter (6 pints), with extras from each batch for my pantry) and I still have enough apples to do a third batch and make a pie. I also added another 6 pints + a quart of grape juice, and picked the remaining peppers and tomatoes from my deck pots -- all were very small, but were handy in salads and chopped into my meals. I also harvested and dried the last of the basil, oregano, and parsley, and cut back and discarded the chives -- I've got enough dried to last me for the next two years!
The week ended with a celebratory COVID-forced retirement luncheon for a former colleague. There were just a few of us at a local restaurant, outside on their open patio. It was good to see everyone and I'm glad that this colleague was in good spirits and seemed almost relieved that she was offered an early severance, with no sign of any bitterness about the situation. Because she didn't get the "traditional" retirement send-off, we wanted to honor her and her contributions. That was followed by drinks and appetizers at another outdoor venue with some of my widows and widowers support group.
I didn't prepare a weekly menu last Sunday and I struggled to eat healthy all week long. So, first thing this morning over coffee, I planned for this week and there's only a few items to pick up at the grocery store. Now, let's see if I can at least semi-follow the plan!!!!
Trying to remember to be thankful for all that I have and to make the best of every day I'm given. Be blessed and have a great week, everyone!
Well girl you wore me out reading all you were up to. My goodness. heck, retirement is a blessing and glad they got a nice severance . I hope they enjoy those splendid days at home. Sounds like a nice celebration.
DeleteSounds like a lot of canning and fresh garden produce to deal with. Good job.
Thankfulness is a must for life to be happy I believe. Each day is a blessing and every item is a gift.
Have a great one.
Cheryl, how do you make enchilada sauce?
ReplyDeleteComing Tuesday.... stay tuned!!!!! LOL
DeleteIt is super easy and I will list the recipe on Tuesday this week!!!!
Another lovely post Cheryl, thank you.
ReplyDeleteCan I ask, where do you get your Mrs Wages salsa mix.
I am in TX, I have Kroger close by and have looked there and many other stores and cannot find it. Where is it situated in the store? Thank you.
This week I purchased the Bragg Nutritional Yeast and am looking forward to using it.
Take care of yourself. Pam in Texas.x
Thank you.
DeleteI normally find it next to jars and canning supplies. Come to think of it I haven't seen it at Kroger for a while. Lots of places here sell it. Any farm store, TSC - Rural King, etc. I have bought at Meijer. Not sure, but would imagine WM would have if the carry canning supplies. You can order online as well - did that in the past.
Good for you - glad you found something new to try from the blog.
Take care.
Little baby squirrels are so cute!! and playful :D. How sweet you outdoor kitties play with them =^.^= Fall is in the air here, too! We love it. How cool you were able to fix that fob! and I'm looking forward to your enchie sauce recipe ;). We had homemade minestrone soup this weekend and air-fryed hamburgers.
ReplyDeleteOh baby anything is cute - but little squirrels are just a hoot to watch. So funny. Had one last week that was running to the tree and the groundhog was in between him and the tree. It jumped on the groundhogs back and bounced over to the tree. Scared the cr** out of the groundhog!!!! LOL
DeleteMeal sounds yummy.
Have a good one
I love hearing about your backyard babies. I love mine. I can just sit and watch them play.
ReplyDeleteI grabbed that Apple deal, too. I love Galas. I also had a 50% off deli item so I got hubs his favorite roast beef. I nearly fainted when I saw that it had gone up in price so much, from $6.99 when I last bought it to $11.99 lb.!!! So relieved I had that coupon. And more relieved I've been stocking all summer. Prices are absolutely shocking.
This week, I...
...finished my dollhouse!! It's ready for the auction next year.
... Gave hubs a haircut
... Cleared out about 40 old magazines
... Made a loaf of bread
... Made about 20 greeting cards (I belong to a group that makes them for nursing home residents that can't get out to buy their own. Stamped envelope included! We have a generous donor.)
I finished 3 books- Spuds, Spam& Eating for Victory (WW2 rationing), The Search by Suzanne Woods Fisher and a Flavia De Luce book.
Started Mrs. Dunwoody's and The Fallen by David Baldacci.
Meals were:
Chili on corn bread
Baked tacos
Spaghetti and meat sauce
Kielbasa and Mexican corn
Baked chicken and potato salad
French Dips and Cole slaw
Chef salad
We kinda reverted back to a summer menu when the temp went up.
Started watching a good mystery on PBS last week, Flesh and Blood.
Will enjoy cooler temperatures this week. I sleep better.
Every one have a good week!
That is so neat on the cards. What a wonderful and sweet gesture of all. Glad you got the dollhouse done.
DeleteWow, that is expensive on deli meat! Haven't bought any in ages, so never check the price. I used to think 6.99 was expensive.
Your meals all sound so yummy. Same here. Changed it up a bit when it got warmer. Back to cooler weather meals at the end of the week!
Have a good week
I am impressed that you fixed your key fob! Those things are not cheap to replace.
ReplyDeleteThe weather has been very nice, despite no rain. Watching Jim O'Brien on Fox59 this morning shows some definitely cooler weather. Need to collect up anything left in the garden.
The Urban Farmer made turkey chili yesterday so we'll be eating that for a few days. No room in any of the freezers to keep leftovers.
He also made some coney sauce that was yummy. He loves to cook so when I have other things to do (always something to take care of), he creates in the kitchen.
Spent part of the morning using the rest of our OTC Network accounts for supplies. It's nice to get a little back from our medical insurance supplement.
I need to work in the front flower beds. Maybe if I go out there, it will start raining.
The charity shop you mentioned is on Madison, right? The city has been working on correcting drainage issues in our neighborhood and we were talking to the project manager about various subjects and the thrift store came up. He said his mother-in-law goes to the one on Madison and I'm sure it's where you go. He said it's south of Stop 11. Need to check it out.
Yes that is the main shop on Madison just S of Stop 11 on right side if heading south. There is another branch just outside Beech Grove on Albany/Troy. The one on Madison is where to go if wanting to look - it is much bigger!
DeleteNice that your hubby enjoys cooking - saves your time for other things.
I went out this morning and pulled up a bit more garden and found a few more little green toms. Worked on fence rows as well.
Sure hope we get some rain today. Ground is so parched.
yeah the fob would have been about $85 to replace. $5 new battery and a good cleaning and all fixed.
Have a good one.
I'll be pulling my tomato plants this weekend. We are suppose to get frost for several nights. A friend wants all the tomatoes I have already picked, to make salsa.
ReplyDeleteThis evening we found a deal on shelving for Farmer's bathroom. It is that chrome or black pantry shelving, but this was individual pieces so he can design the length and height. And cheaper than the "boxed kits." I'm ready to organize his towels and work clothes on better shelving. And clean out the laundry room and my bathroom.
We picked up some organic Honeycrisp apples (our preferred variety.) I had just gotten some at the regular store in a bag-lot and they are so mushy. I'll make applesauce or a crisp from those.
Final frugal thing: I did NOT buy 2 birthday cards while out, but will use the ones I previously purchased. Saved $5 at least. :)
I have pulled a lot of mine as well - will continue over the next week.
DeleteGreat on the shelving - hoping that helps you get hubs organized.
I bought Fugi the other day and they are quite crisp - just like I like for munching.
YAY!!!! I have been using cards I have or making them this summer. Good going on resisting temptation. It all adds up!